Putin tries to build non-Western global coalition at BRICS summit as Ukraine war looms
Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting a summit of nearly two dozen world leaders in an effort to snub Western leaders who've tried to shut Russia out of the global economy after his invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.
The BRICS summit is based on "common values, a common vision of development and, most importantly, the principle of taking into account each other's interests," Putin said Tuesday.
Pressed by reporters on how that vision squares with his invasion of Ukraine, Putin said he has no intention of giving up the parts of Ukraine now under Russian control – Crimea, which it seized a decade ago, and most of the eastern Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
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Four days earlier, Putin said it was in Russia's security interests to come to a "lasting peace" in Ukraine. But Russia will keep fighting until victory in Ukraine, he said.
His remarks came as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced another $400 million in aid for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv on Monday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Washington was readying two more packages worth up to $800 million each for the war-battered army.
The BRICS alliance, originally comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, and now includes countries that make up 45% of the world's population. World leaders from 22 countries are expected to attend the summit in Kazan, a city of around 1.3 million in southwestern Russia on the banks of the Volga River.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was "glad to be in Kazan" as he arrived on Tuesday. Putin and the Chinese leader, who he called his "dear friend," have tightened economic and military ties since Russia's invasion of Ukraine isolated it from trade with the West.
The night before the summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Putin that his ongoing conflict with Ukraine "should be resolved only through peaceful means."
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"We fully support the early restoration of peace and stability. All our efforts give priority to humanity," Modi said.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva canceled his trip to Russia on Sunday after he suffered a minor brain hemorrhage from a head injury in his home. He will attend the summit remotely.
Russia and China tighten ties after Ukraine invasion
The U.S. slapped heavy sanctions on Russia after its Feb. 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including major blocks on the transactions of Russian financial institutions, banning U.S. imports of Russian energy products, and personal sanctions on Russian oligarchs in Putin's inner circle.
Although Russia felt the impact, some U.S. lawmakers said the sanctions didn't hit the economy hard enough.
In the BRICS alliance, Putin hopes to rebuff Western efforts to stifle the Russian economy. BRICS countries make up 35% of the global economy by purchasing power parity, with China responsible for around half of its economic power. Its share of the global GDP will likely reach 37% by 2030, according to International Monetary Fund data.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russia and China have tightened their economic and military ties, despite pressure from the U.S. and its Western allies on China to join in condemning Russia's invasion. At a May meeting, Putin told Xi, "Together we are defending the principles of justice and a democratic world order reflecting multipolar realities and based on international law."
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine war looms over BRICS summit as Putin tightens alliances